Good system to build for DCS 2.0? Advise please!

[sukhoi350]

Hello guys,

 

What's a decent PC that one could build for DCS 2.0 Navada and future maps/ add ons in order to run everything smoothly with very little compromise when it comes to graphics settings? I really want a silky-smooth experience.

 

I am not interested in multiple monitors set up. A single 30" screen or something similar I am totally happy with. I would also want to run trackir (not sure how much fps loss that causes).

 

Also I should mention I am not a tech guy like some and I really don't want to think or mess around with overclocking anything. So I would just like to build something and leave it. Possibly upgrading GPU and RAM in future.

 

Any advice for what a good place would be to build a custom PC online in the UK?

 

 

I understand the principals after having gone through many threads on this forum. I would obviously like to spend the least amount of money that I can but I understand that it wont be cheap. If I could get something for £1000 or less would be ideal.

 

The only components I am already pretty set on is 16GB of fast RAM and an SSD to run everything from.

 

Regarding graphics I see the GTX980/Ti seems to be the 1st choice but they are mega expensive so would a 970 be sufficient to begin with?

 

And processor wise I understand it has to be either an i5 or an i7. Once again bear in mind I don't want to overclock anything, so having said that what would be the cheapest best choice to achieve my goal?

 

What kind of PSU would I require?

 

Thanks!

[hughlb]

Hi Sukhoi350, you can view my system specifications at the bottom of this post. I believe it offers a good performance/price balance for 1080p, 60fps.

 

A 970 is as much as you'd want to spend for 1080p, any more and you won't see a significant difference. For VR and higher resolutions, you're better off waiting. NVidia's Pascal line of cards is set to release later this year. It is suggested that they are designed with large resolution and VR gaming in mind. You may be able to get the 970 equivalent in Pascal, and save hundreds of dollars on what you'd spend getting a current 980Ti.

 

For a CPU, invest in a i5 or i7 with a high clock rate. A lot of people on this forum use the CPU that I have.

 

16GB of RAM should be your baseline for a new computer, and it seems like higher clocked RAM will net you a few extra frames, but perhaps not worth the extra cost.

 

An SSD should also be your baseline for program installations on a new PC.

 

For a Power Supply, don't go cheap, I have a Coolermaster Vanguard S (RS650-AMAAG1-AU) 650Watt 80+, quiet and reliable so far.

 

Case - don't skimp on this either, get one with decent sound insulation and DUST FILTERS! I have a Fractal Design R4 (There is an R5 out presently)

 

I run all settings at "High" with a consistent 60fps or greater. It will dip to 45-55 over the heavier parts of Las Vegas, but jumps back to 60 higher above the city. So for 1080p, I wouldn't bother getting anything more powerful for little practical gain.

 

Tree Visibility, Flat Shadows, Visibility Distance, and Depth of Field, all seem to affect Framerate the most. I ensure Flat Shadows are ON, and Tree Visibility is set to 9000. High Visibility Distance seems a good balance, and Depth of Field set to off.

 

I find I can set 8x-16x MSAA and 16x AF without issue, and Ground Clutter maxed out.

Edited February 18, 2016 by hughlb

[sukhoi350]

Thanks a lot for the reply.

 

What about the Motherboard? I literally have no idea what any of them are and which are better or worse? I see there's options from MSI, Gigabyte and ASUS.

 

And regarding the power supply... what's the sort of minimum wattage I need? My current PC has an 800W PSU even though it's no where near as capable as what I want to build.

 

Thanks again!

[hughlb]

With Motherboards, it's hard. A "Z" model is needed to overclock, I believe, if you're into that sort of thing. I don't overclock, but I went with an Asrock Fatal1ty Z97, primarily because it reviewed well and I might want to overclock later. I chose mine because it was a reasonably priced "Z97" board, with an emphasis on gaming. You just need to look into it, find a retailer and set your price range, then look at the boards in that price range, and read reviews on them.

 

With PSU's it literally controls power to all your hardware, so it's worth getting something that is stable and reliable. There is a rating system with PSU's that tell you how efficient they are. You can often get a lower wattage PSU with greater efficiency, I'd recommend that over simply believing larger-wattage=better. Also, get something quiet, with a decent fan, afterall, it's another fan causing sound pollution on your desk!

 

I found these two components the hardest to understand, but I had no knowledge on them to begin with. So do lots of reading, I wouldn't recommend any particular model, as I purchased my computer a year ago, so components have probably evolved. But I found Asrock to be competitively priced for Motherboards, and Coolermaster Vanguard to be a reasonable price/performance option too.

[Demon_]

"I really don't want to think or mess around with overclocking" We all begin like that.

 

The newer generation i5 6600K (learn to overclock) with a Cooler Master Hyper 212. Or paid the price, i7 6700K. But the i5 4690K, i7 4790K are good choices too, if they are less expensive.

 

And the i5 6600K at stock 3.9Ghz is probably enough. Look at the min, 53 at 4.0Ghz and only 3 more at 4.5Ghz.

 

Asus Z170-A, Gigabyte Z170X-UD3, Gigabyte Z170X-Gaming 3, MSI Z170A Krait Gaming, MSI Z170A Gaming M3 (no sli).

 

Power supply

http://www.thetechgame.com/Archives/t=5613293/power-supply-guide-the-good-and-the-bad.html

http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

Bronze certification for a one video card's system, gold certification for a sli/crossf config.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Demon_

[BitMaster]

Gsync monitor would be on my list on the very top

[JINX_1391]

hughlb's post is basically what I used for frame of refernce for my build. Completed two weeks ago.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/b/wwWXsY

 

You can also use that site to build your own PC from. It will ensure compatibility, let you compare items, searches for best price, and offers great support.

 

Above link is to my dedicated DCS PC build. I get 110-120 FPS flying low through the Vegas strip, on a populated MP server, running trackir, and shadow play. Exactly what I wanted to be able to play DCS and enjoy how great it really is with no issues so far.

 

Edit: Oh, and I only use one monitor to play DCS on. The other I use to have TS3, monitor temps, shadowplay, watch..err...youtube, etc.

Edited February 19, 2016 by JINX_1391

[sukhoi350]

hughlb's post is basically what I used for frame of refernce for my build. Completed two weeks ago.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/b/wwWXsY

 

You can also use that site to build your own PC from. It will ensure compatibility, let you compare items, searches for best price, and offers great support.

 

Above link is to my dedicated DCS PC build. I get 110-120 FPS flying low through the Vegas strip, on a populated MP server, running trackir, and shadow play. Exactly what I wanted to be able to play DCS and enjoy how great it really is with no issues so far.

 

Edit: Oh, and I only use one monitor to play DCS on. The other I use to have TS3, monitor temps, shadowplay, watch..err...youtube, etc.

 

Yeah I was looking at his build also. I'd say that's near enough what I want but I am a bit confused about the tower case itself now. It seems as if his one doesn't actually have any side fans. And in fact this is one of those things that confuses me as there seems to be a large choice of cases but I am never really sure which one or how many fans it should have. I'll do some research and see what the deal is.

[hughlb]

Nice build Jinx! How do you get 110-120fps down the strip!? That's incredible, what are your in game graphics settings?

 

In regards to fans. It's not really how many fans your case has, but how the air moves through the case. For instance, if you get mismatched intake and outtake fans, you can end up dumping more air into the case than the extractor fan can clear. This leads to turbulance inside the case, and that's the last thing you want (aside from no air flow of course). The case fans aren't really cooling your devices directly, that's the job of the CPU and video card fans, it's more about putting cool air into the case, and removing warmer air - you don't need lots of effort to do that, just smooth regular flow - keep your case on your desk if you can, people tend to put them under desks where they're a bit quieter, but with a good build in 2016, sound shouldn't be a concern anymore - but dust and heat build up always is!

 

I am no expert on cases, but when I was doing my build, I looked for a case with good sound insulation (front door, insulation foam), and reliable/quiet fans. I have one intake and one extractor fan, but the R4 case does have expansion options. Ultimately you want larger diameter fans that work at a lower RPM, and you want to line the airflow up with your CPU fan. Also, clean your intake fan dust filter every month or so, it's easy to do and can profoundly affect your airflow.

Edited February 20, 2016 by hughlb

[sukhoi350]

Thanks for the info!

 

I was looking at the GTX 970 and I see there are options from Zotac, MSI, Asus. Some are "TURBO OC", some are not. They are all in the same price range.

 

Asus GTX 970 DirectCU II OC Strix is the most expensive one but not by a huge amount.

 

Which one should I go for?

[cichlidfan]

I am a happy user of both Zotac and ASUS.

[Demon_]

Look for the gpu frequency. But don't spend too much, you will see tiny difference in performance.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Demon_

[sukhoi350]

Ok, got you, thanks.

 

Regarding the motherboards now... I've been using this website to see what I can build and there's a massive range of motherboards. What's the best option there?

 

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/ocuk-tech-labs-skylake-z170-midi-tower-gaming-pc-configurator-fs-007-tl.html#t=d1

[Demon_]

The good gamer, the minimum, the crap.

 

Asrock Z170 Gaming K6,

MSI Z170A-SLI Plus, Z170A Krait Gaming,

Gigabytes GA-Z170-UD3, Z170-Gaming K3 (no sli), GA-Z170XP-SLI, GA-Z170 Sniper, GA-Z170X-Gaming 3, GA-Z170M-D3H,

Asus Z170-A, Z170 Pro Gaming, Z170-E,

 

Difference between a good gaming motherboard and a crap:

Edited February 24, 2016 by Demon_

[sukhoi350]

Thank you very much for the explanation!

 

Also, might be a stupid question, but I see it's possible to add a separate sound card. Am I right in saying this is unnecessary?

[Demon_]

You can use the first PCIe 3.0/2.0 x1 slot.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Demon_

[Demon_]

Am I right in saying this is unnecessary?

 

 

Can't tell.

 

Depending of the integrated audio circuitry of the motherboard. Many motherboard use "the minimum" Realtek ALC1150, ALC892, ALC887.

A sound card with his audio processor will give you better surround effect.

At least an Asus with the AV66, AV100 processor.

Edited February 24, 2016 by Demon_

[sukhoi350]

Sorry, this motherboard jargon is rather confusing for me.

 

If I go for one of the "good gamer" motherboards that you referred to, will one of them be fine on its own?

[Demon_]

If I go for one of the "good gamer" motherboards that you referred to, will one of them be fine on its own?

 

 

At that level of price, you have the basic. But, at first, you should try without an external sound card.

 

Check in Specifications/Audio.

Exemple:

Realtek® ALC892 : https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Motherboards/Z170-A/specifications/

Realtek® ALC1150: http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5499#sp

 

The Asus Xonar DX (AV100 processor) or DSX (AV66 processor).

I use a Xonar Dx with Tritton Pc510 HDa (5.1 analog). I don't know the performance difference (big or small?) of an external sound card with an usb heatsets or 2 speakers, compared to the motherboard integrated audio.

Edited February 25, 2016 by Demon_

[sukhoi350]

Got you. Thanks a lot for the info!

[hughlb]

I went with an MSI because of their global warranty. Im in Australia, so I saved some bucks and had it shipped from the US. Thats really the only reason I went with the MSI. Honestly, I would just go for the best price on a 970. Its a great card but its been out a year and a half, so save your money and get a decently priced one. Furthermore, you wont notice the fps difference bweteen cards, even a 980ti seems to require settings being dropped for smooth gameplay. Spend whatever money you save on a fast CPU, or a reputable motherboard manufacturer.

[sukhoi350]

Yup, I'm pretty much set on what I want:

 

i7 6700K 4.0GHz

GTX 970

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3000MHz

Samsung EVO 850 250GB

Gigabytes GA-Z170X-UD3

 

I'll just order the whole thing ready-built from a website here in the UK. They only offer an i5 6600K or an i7 6700K, so I'll go for the i7 6700K. Should be plenty, right?

[hughlb]

Good processor, should see no problem in DCS with it. Depending on when you want to get this PC, you could hold off a couple of months and see what Nvidia release mid year. As I said, the 970 is approaching the end of its life.

[Demon_]

Plenty of fun! And the power supply? https://www.overclockers.co.uk/seasonic-m12ii-620-evo-620w-80-plus-bronze-power-supply-ca-052-ss.html

[sukhoi350]

620W would be enough, yes?

 

Haven't decided exactly on the PSU but if you say that one is good then sure, why not.